Facts had proven.
These guys had indeed "gone mad."
On the first day, the Alliance had sent hundreds of teams to the front line, but less than 20% had withstood the test of ti, yet on the second day, more than fifty new teams quickly took their place.
Seeing the insufficient stamina of the Alliance, the Human Emperor initially felt secretly relieved, especially when the teams stepping up on the third day were halved, suggesting those lunatics weren’t truly infinite.
Even the Cannon Fodder clones of Weilante, lacking a complete mind, needed two years of cultivation, let alone those with complete ntal faculties sent by the Alliance to the front line.
With such heavy casualties, he feared it wouldn’t be long before a wave of war-weariness erupted within the Alliance. After all, Waste Land Wanderers were just a bunch of opportunistic folks who, if forced to face death, would undoubtedly flee without a second thought.
On the fourth day, just as he had predicted, the battlefields erupted, yet many of them quieted down, leaving only a few heavily manned positions still struggling to hold on.
Although the hatcheries at those positions were problematic, by themselves, they couldn’t hold out for long. Facing a continuous onslaught, falling like the other positions was just a matter of ti.
While he eagerly awaited the Alliance’s performance on the fifth day, as The Sun rose on the horizon on the fifth day, he was utterly dumbfounded.
The vast crowd stretched as far as the eye could see, the hillside blanketed with guns and flags like a forest!
The disappeared had reappeared.
And there were even more than on the first day!
Their gaze was resolute, their steps firm, shoulder to shoulder, they marched towards Haiye Province. They seed to have no idea what this place was, or perhaps they knew but didn’t care at all.
And the Combat Power erupted from these people was likewise incredibly surprising.
When dawn turned to dusk, the positions that held were not just 20% but had exceeded 40%!
And those positions that had been on the brink of collapse stood firm once more with the arrival of these reinforcents, even utilizing B-strain hatcheries to purify the land beneath them.
These people seed to grow stronger the more they fought!
That was what baffled the Human Emperor the most.
On the other side, the Army’s troops also began to push forward, learning from the Alliance’s thods and establishing ten positions in the north of Haiye Province.
The Academy and corporations also followed suit, unwilling to be outdone, dispatching their squads and creating nurous positions around the hatcheries.
The Allied forces continued to clear the corruption of Weifu Plains while infiltrating Haiye Province, progressively narrowing the living space of the Torch Church.
Staring agape at everything unfolding on the battle line, the Human Emperor mouthed wordlessly, unable to utter a single phrase for quite a long ti.
Had these guys lost their minds?!
...
In fact, not only did the pioneers of the Torch Church think these guys had gone mad, but many high-ranking officers within the Allied forces also felt their behavior was sowhat outrageous.
However, in these tis, who didn’t have their little secrets? Their secrets were no fewer than those of the Alliance, so even if they felt it was outrageous, it wasn’t convenient to inquire.
Moreover, this was not sothing underhanded.
Hence, they could only speculate based on limited intelligence and then report back to their superiors.
For instance, the Alliance might have mastered the mass production of artificial humans or remote-controlled Clone technologies.
As for resurrection...
That sounded too far-fetched.
City of Dawn certainly had many such rumors, but when it ca to serious considerations, people seldom thought in that direction because one had to rely on tangible evidence.
As for the junior officers and Soldiers, they hadn’t thought so much. After all, many were fighting so far from ho for the first ti and were unfamiliar with local conditions.
Based on their initial impressions, their attitude towards the Alliance’s tough fighters was mostly respect and admiration.
After all, it wasn’t uncommon to find fighters who regarded death as the return ho, but to see so many gathered at once was sowhat shocking...
...
North of Weifu Military Base.
As the Allied forces launched a new round of attacks, recently war-torn Kun Town was bustling again.
Stalls densely packed the south gate of the town; so stall owners even took the effort to decorate their stalls to attract custors, while so shabby Waste Land Wanderers simply led a Double-headed Cow or pushed a tricycle and called it a stall. The furthest vendors had even co from Poluo Province.
Locally settled Waste Land Wanderers had not moved away due to the previous calamity. Instead, motivated by the Alliance’s performance in that battle and the protection provided, they were even more determined to settle here permanently.
After all, where on the wasteland was utterly safe?
Who could anticipate that a peaceful and sunny wilderness would turn into a death-filled hell in the next mont?
Theoretically, any part of this wasteland could experience similar incidents; the key wasn’t whether the danger would occur, but whether it would be properly handled afterward.
And the ability of the Alliance to manage chaos and crises had beco a form of security for those tornted survivors of the wasteland.
Moreover, another reason they stayed was the shiny Silver coins.
Affected by the Sticky Community dispatching reinforcents from all directions to the front line, the liveliness here even exceeded previous levels.
The market buzzed with vendors calling out their wares, a vibrant and bustling scene. If not for the lingering gray-green fog in the distance, one could hardly tell that half a month ago, this place had experienced a catastrophe.
But even if it had, at least for those living here, it was all in the past.
"Roasted corn! Fresh corn!"
"Curved knives from the Honey Badger Kingdom! Sharper than anything, they can slice through iron as if it was mud! Only 100 Silver Coins each!"
"Buy a goat, sir. The mountain road ahead isn’t easy, and who knows when the Alliance will get the railroad through."
"In this day and age, still using beasts of burden to haul goods! What do you need to send to the front? One of our Army n is worth two cows!"
"Holy shit, what kind of brother is that... looks more like a horse to ."
"LD-47! Full set of LD series equipnt! The most durable fellow on the battlefield... exactly like the ones in ’The Great Escape’ Ga!!"
"I’ll take two!!"
"Alright! Which model would you like, sir?"
"Two LD-47s!"
"Are they for a friend?"
"Screw gifts, I plan on dual-wielding!"
"...6."
The stalls and the passing pedestrians here are as varied as the goods being sold.
There are weapons, clothes, and even sweet potatoes and roasted potatoes, or so really weird knick-knacks.
Like a secret potion said to cause instant awakening or a card pack hiding a Blue-Eyed White Dragon.
Especially the latter, those colorful cards are what the couch potatoes from Ideal City are most obsessed with.
There’s no Endpoint Cloud here, and in its absence, they need sothing else to serve as a common topic of conversation.
As for the Weilante People, their tastes are as usual.
Over a hundred thousand soldiers from the Army almost drove the local high-proof spirits out of stock.
Especially the ’Big Bird Spin’ vodka produced by Goblin Technology, a favorite among the lower-ranked Weilante officers and soldiers.
Since this stuff is made from potatoes, it’s driven up the price of the Alliance’s potatoes.
Compared to the stable demands of the Ideal folks and Weilante People, the Residents of the refuge from the Alliance have inexplicable tastes.
Especially so newcors who are extrely keen on stuff that looks fancy but is actually pretty useless.
Like the products Goblin Technology brought to their stall—especially when their boss himself brings the goods, it’s usually that kind of stuff.
After all, if those things were really that useful, the CEO-cum-chairman-cum-factory director wouldn’t need to peddle them himself.
"Psh, a bunch of ignoramuses!"
Watching the bustling stall not far away, Mosquito Brother couldn’t help but curse with a vexed expression.
Just at that mont, Debt Giant Eye passed by and glimpsed the items on his stall, nearly bursting out laughing.
The pistol with six barrels or the double-barreled assault rifle might be considered normal, maybe just a bit unique or old-fashioned in design.
But a mobile barrier welded onto a tricycle, an automatic magazine loader for use with the LD-47, or a rocket backpack just for one way— all those ludicrous things really made one doubt his ntal state.
"Man, are you selling a circus troupe’s gear?" Debt Giant Eye teased Mosquito as he watched his annoyed face.
Mosquito rolled his eyes.
"You know shit, it’s art! Don’t touch if you’re not buying!"
Putting the six-barreled pistol back on the stall, Big Eyes sighed deeply, acting knowledgeable.
"In my view, sothing that most people can appreciate is called art, like the artworks from Vine Cottage."
Mosquito chuckled.
"Say that to Teng Teng, see if she doesn’t hamr you."
"This equipnt does seem interesting..." Just then, the Construction Site Youth picked up a steel shield, intrigued by the fierce red fungi mat on it, and curiously asked, "What is this for?"
"Real deal, brother," Mosquito’s eyes lit up, seeing soone interested in his design, and he said eagerly, "This shield is made from self-repairing material! Not only is it ultra-durable, but it can also draw organic matter from the surroundings to increase the shield’s defense and coverage."
"Holy shit?! Damage absorption?!" The Construction Site Youth stared in surprise, and even Big Eyes, who had scoffed at the items, looked taken aback.
"How much for this thing?"
Mosquito grinned.
"Not expensive, just 1000 Silver Coins!"
When Big Eyes, who was initially quite interested, heard the price, he almost spat blood.
"Holy shit! 1000 Silver Coins is not expensive?!"
That was enough to buy ten lackeys!!
"Indeed, that’s a bit pricey," the Construction Site Youth nodded and muttered, "I rember ceramic steel shields also cost around 1000 Silver."
"Can those things even compare to mine?" Mosquito scoffed, "Mine can repair itself if it gets pierced, can theirs?"
Just when Big Eyes thought Mosquito Brother had finally invented sothing useful, the remark made him snap back to reality.
Wait a minute!
The shield made of ceramic steel got pierced through, could the person behind it still be alive?
Seriously, what’s the use of self-repair abilities in this thing?
However, the construction worker seed not to have realized it yet, still figuring out how to use this uniquely shaped shield; after pondering for a long ti, he didn’t figure out how to wear it on his arm.
He looked bewilderingly at Mosquito, and asked in confusion,
"You didn’t forget to attach a handle, did you? There’s no place to hold onto this shield."
Seeing his not-so-smart look, Mosquito patiently pointed out,
"You’re holding the shield the wrong way, the entire layer of crimson mycelium is the handle, just stick it to your arm and it connects."
The construction worker was startled by this, and directly tossed the shield back beside the stall.
"What the fuck? The side with tentacles is supposed to face ?!"
"... Otherwise?" Mosquito stared at him blankly, "You can’t possibly use the side with flesh facing others, right?"
Debt Giant Eye couldn’t help but interject,
"... this damage absorption must be absorbing from oneself."
The mont the construction youth thought about how he almost paid, he got furious, "This is false advertising!"
Mosquito awkwardly looked away, but had no intention of admitting his mistake, retorting,
"I didn’t say it absorbs from others."
Construction youth, annoyed, exclaid, "%￥#@!"
Although they were angry, there were no substantial losses. After grumbling a few words, they turned and left.
Soon after they left, a group of newcors strolled up to the stall.
Seeing fresh faces, Mosquito’s heart reckoned it was finally ti to make a sale, his face breaking into a brilliant smile.
"Brothers, good taste!"
[Feels not as good as Rick]raised his head, curiously giving the stall owner a glance.
"I haven’t said I wanted to buy anything yet."
"That’s not important! The fact you found this place is proof enough of your good taste," Mosquito chuckled, patting the newcor’s shoulder and continued, "So? See any equipnt you like? I’ll give you a 20% discount!"
Initially, Rick wasn’t very interested, but his eyes lit up at the ntion of a discount.
"Really?"
"Of course, real!" Mosquito enthusiastically picked up the shield that the construction youth and his friend had just discarded, tapping the crimson mycelium, "Half-chanical, half-biological prosthetic! Not only can it absorb damage and self-repair, but it also helps train the Kylin Arm, perfect if you’re of the Strength Type! I recomnd you get one of these, it’s really effective!"
Moved by the words, Rick was keen, but the price tag instantly killed his enthusiasm like a deflated balloon.
"This is too expensive, don’t you have sothing cheaper and useful too? Sothing that can increase survival on the battlefield, yet won’t hurt to lose."
Mosquito surprisingly looked at him.
"My man, your demands are quite over the top."
Rick asked impatiently,
"What’s with all the nonsense, just tell if you have it or not!"
"I totally do!" Mosquito’s surprise vanished, as he smiled mischievously and hooked his arm around Rick’s shoulder, speaking cheerfully, "Speaking of cheap and effective, I have to ntion our Goblin Technology’s non-powered armor... not only tested in combat, but I guarantee it ets your needs perfectly, cheap and effective!"
Rick’s eyes brightened.
"Really?"
"Absolutely real! And it’s not just the non-powered armor, I’ve got lots of great stuff... co on, let take you to the warehouse to take a look."
As he spoke, Mosquito turned and called to his Mouse Tribe assistant to help watch over the stall, then walked off arm in arm with the newcor toward the warehouse in the town behind.
Encouraged by the veterans on the Forum, he had concocted quite a few new toys recently, just pining for soone to pay to test them.
Watching the newcor led to the warehouse by Mosquito, passing veteran players silently mourned for him in their hearts.
The brothers in the Allied forces thought themselves tough, but only they knew, those daring to test Mosquito Brother’s equipnt were truly the toughest...
...
While players sched about refining equipnt and how to grind monsters more efficiently, Chu Guang, as a planner, focused his attention on the monsters at the forefront.
From aboard Steel Heart.
Standing inside the bridge, Chu Guang wore a faint smile, looking over the battlefield through the Hummingbird drone controlled by Xiao Qi.
"Crocodile-mouthed elephants, snakes standing over ten ters tall... good lord, even freaking ’Godzilla’ is conjured up."
Watching the creature on the screen swaying its tail and flipping over a Chira Armored Car with one swipe, he couldn’t help but admire.
"Jeez, these guys sure have lots of tricks."
He didn’t pay special attention to the details in the battle but focused on his primary duty as a planner—
that is, taking photos of monsters appearing in the ga and updating them in the official website’s setting collection.
""""This way, players get the illusion that the Dog plan creators are actually working. Even just to not let down this enthusiasm, they brush through the ga with even more vigor.
In fact, if the Torch did not iterate the types of evolutionary bodies so zealously, his players might not have been as fired up as they are now.
But these things, the guy who called himself ’Human Emperor,’ was dood never to find out.
Five days had passed since the "Purification Station Event" started.
In these short five days, the Alliance placed a total of 5 large purification bases and nearly three hundred small purification stations in the northern part of Haiye Province.
The forr were managed by more mature armies like the Storm Corps and Death Legion, whereas the latter were controlled by various dium and small-sized armies and makeshift fleets, making their number quite variable and their lifespan asured in hours or even minutes.
With the coordinated efforts of armies and fleets, the Alliance advanced the front line in just seven days to five kiloters north of Lai Mountain City, biting off at least 70 square kiloters from Haiye Province’s 670,000 square kiloters of land.
Moreover, the Alliance also demonstrated to the Allied forces how this battle was to be fought.
At present, ten divisions of the corps had sequentially entered the territory of Haiye Province, and corporations and academies were not falling behind, sending more reinforcents to the front line.
It wouldn’t be long before they too would achieve impressive results.
Seeing Chu Guang in a good mood, Xiao Qi sincerely shared his joy, lightly swinging her tiny legs hanging on the power armor, her face as smooth as a porcelain doll’s with a happy expression.
"... Really so clueless fellows daring to oppose Xiao Qi’s master. Looks like these bugs haven’t learned their lesson yet. Maybe this is just what small fries are like~"
Hearing a voice more arrogant than his own, Chu Guang laughed heartily and then teased,
"Xiao Qi, normally it’s the villains who say that kind of stuff."
"Eh??"
Xiao Qi looked at Chu Guang in surprise, then whispered guiltily, "But... isn’t this how protagonists talk in comics?"
Chu Guang was montarily stunned, his expression weird as he looked at the little creature on his shoulder.
"What exactly have you been reading on the Forum..."
Subtly shifting his gaze to the side, Xiao Qi looked around sheepishly, her eyes suddenly lighting up as she spoke,
"Master! Soone spent 10,000 purification points to buy a 400mm rocket range extender! Should we approve it?"
Goodness.
Does soone actually buy that stuff?
Although he knew Xiao Qi was changing the subject, and the way she did it was quite abrupt, a hint of surprise couldn’t help but appear on Chu Guang’s face.
That’s ten thousand points!
That’s enough for twenty close-air supports!
"Location?"
"The suburbs of Lai Mountain City! Southwest side of the abandoned light industrial park!"
As she spoke, Xiao Qi switched the holographic screen to the map page, focusing the cara on the coordinates of the artillery strike.
Unsurprisingly, it was the Storm Corps exchanging the support—a team that could accumulate so many points without using them could only be them.
Chu Guang glanced at the position of his allies, which was far from the artillery area, and imdiately issued an order.
"Approve the request!"
"You got it!"
Xiao Qi energetically complied, then switched the screen back from the map to the drone’s view and steered the Hummingbird drone towards the vicinity of the artillery area.
As the order was given, the main cannon of Steel Heart slowly rotated its base, raising its thick, black barrel, and completed the correction of firing elents.
"Bang—!"
The blazing explosion soared to the sky, and a deafening boom spread across the deck.
A thick trail of white smoke shot out from the cannon, drawing an arc toward the clouds a few kiloters ahead of the airship.
The shell, falling like thunder from Nine Skies, exploded upon touch, ionizing into a fiery red cloud.
The boiling fla ascended, and the spreading shockwave swept across the ruins like lava from a volcanic eruption.
After the dust settled, all living things in the blast area were turned to ash, only wisps of steam rising from the charred black ground.
Watching the distant explosion, the players under the drone’s cara cheered and applauded satisfyingly, then under their captain’s signal began to gather their gear, continuing towards the scorched earth cleansed by the artillery fire.
While waiting for the bombardnt, they had completed the purification of the land beneath them, so they simply used the remaining points to exchange for a 400mm heavy cannon to bombard the new map where they had just placed the purification base beacon.
After all, purification points couldn’t be taken away. They had been holding on the previous ’level’ long enough, and even if they saved up leftover points to convert them into ti-score, it wouldn’t significantly increase their profits. Better to use them to clear monsters from the next level.
The degree of corrosion had been gathered and calculated before placing the beacon and was already fixed in the VM map’s regional corrosion grid. Therefore, even using the score from the previous level to strategically bomb the new level wouldn’t affect the difficulty and final reward.
Chu Guang didn’t need to guess—it was definitely Ken from Springs who ca up with this idea.
Watching those clever little players, a smile of approval appeared on his face.
These guys had really figured out the rules.
But then again, that’s exactly what he had always encouraged.
-
(Thanks to the leader of the ’Yoo~ Dongcheng’ alliance for the reward!!!)"""
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